Fertile Ground, part 5

Worms

Prior to breaking ground before we built our house, our acreage was a bean field and had been farm land for generations. A common misconception is that farm land is fertile, rich soil in the prime of health. That is far from true. Because of the extensive and rigorous growing of crops, the soil is often deplete of nutrients yet full of pesticide and herbicide residuals. Yes, farmers fertilize, but it is chemical in nature, rather than natural. However, my purpose is not to bemoan or condemn current farming practices. The long and short of it is that when we took possession of this piece of land, there was not a worm on it. And that is sad.
Worms, for many reasons, are a gardener’s friends. They fertilize and aerate the soil, create passages for water to penetrate and indicate the general health of the soil. A good rule of thumb is ten worms per cubic foot of soil. That means that if you dig up one cubic foot of soil, ideally you would find at least ten worms in it, if your soil is in good shape. On the other hand, chemicals, good and bad, destroy the worm population. While chemicals can be a great help to the farmer and gardener alike, they are ultimately a short cut that must be used over and over, often more and more frequently to obtain the desired results rather than a more permanent solution to the problem.
For life application purposes, I would be hard pressed to find a verse in the Bible about worms that was suited to this discussion. However, you only need to do a search for the word “diligently” in Scriptures to see that there is not a quick spiritual fix or short cut to a holy life. Are we satisfied with just “Our Daily Crumbs” or are we willing to put the time and effort into developing real study habits? When our Lord shows us the path he wants us to take, are we willing to follow or do we balk at his direction because it seems too hard? Just as worms are an indicator of soil health, there are also indicators in our lives of spiritual health: a spirit controlled temperament, patient or even joyful response to stressors, a willingness to give when we ourselves have need… If we could dig up a cubic foot of our soul, would we find ten evidences of the fruits of the Spirit?
I am happy to report that after 2 ½ years of planting and watering and lots of work, the last hole that we dug for a tree yielded several very long, very fat night crawlers! The worms are returning. The soil that God created is very resilient and is healing itself. I am also happy to report that God created our souls that same way. Healing is possible. With patience and labor, we can begin to see fruit in our lives once again.